Visit Parkend Places

Welcome to Visit Parkend Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Parkend

  

Parkend Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Parkend

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Parkend history

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Early history

The earliest evidence of human activity in Parkend comes from a hoard of over 1,000 Roman coins, found in the village in 1852 . A lack of other artefacts from the period suggests that the Romans probably did not settle there . History is then silent until 1278, and the first record of a hunting enclosure called ‘Wistemede’ – later known as Whitemead Park .

Industrialisation and growth of the village

In 1799 a new ironworks was constructed near the site of the current post office . Initially it suffered from technical problems but by the early/mid-1800s it had triggered a major industrialisation of the village .

Periods of industrial decline

Parkend Tinplate Works, and the ironworks that had dominated the village for 90 years, succumbed to a loss of markets and both closed in 1877 . Just a few years before, these two businesses alone had been employing 500 people between them .

Modern history

Forester Training School was commandeered by the War Office during WWII and used as a barracks by the American army . After the war it reverted to being a forestry school until it was bought by Avon County Council in 1972 .

You can visit Parkend places with Walkfo Parkend to hear history at Parkend’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Parkend has 34 places to visit in our interactive Parkend map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Parkend, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Parkend places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Parkend & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 34 audio facts unique to Parkend places in an interactive Parkend map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Parkend Places Map
34 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Parkend historic spots	Parkend tourist destinations	Parkend plaques	Parkend geographic features
Walkfo Parkend tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Parkend

  

Best Parkend places to visit

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Parkend has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Parkend’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Parkend’s information audio spots:

Devil’s Chapel Scowles Devil’s Chapel Scowles (grid reference SO606045) is a 44.79-hectare (110.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire . The site lies in the Forest of Dean and has four units of assessment by Natural England .

Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old Bow And Old Ham Mines (grid reference SO579088) is a 40.3-hectare (100-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1998.

Clearwell Caves Clearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. The caves are part of a Natural England designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Spion Kop Quarry Spion Kop Quarry (grid reference SO598103) is a 0.7-hectare nature reserve in Gloucestershire in the Forest of Dean. The site is listed in the ‘Forest of Dean Local Plan Review’ as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS)

Nagshead SSSI Nagshead SSSI is a 297 acres (120 ha) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest located in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It is listed in the ‘Forest of Dean Local Plan Review’ as a Key Wildlife Site.

Darkhill Ironworks Darkhill Ironworks and Titanic Steelworks are internationally important industrial remains associated with the development of the iron and steel industries. They are located on the edge of a small hamlet called Gorsty Knoll, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Oakenhill Railway Cutting Oakenhill Railway Cutting (grid reference SO630069) is a 0.81-hectare (2.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the ‘Forest of Dean Local Plan Review’ as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS)

Meezy Hurst Meezy Hurst (SO638089 to SO647091) is a 4.3-hectare (11-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the ‘Forest of Dean Local Plan Review’ as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS)

Visit Parkend plaques